Prevalence And Distribution of Vertical Osseous Defects In Patients Being Treated For Chronic Periodontitis.

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and distribution of vertical osseous defects in patients who underwent open flap debridement. Methods: A total of 83 subjects were examined for prevalence of vertical defects using direct observation during periodontal surgery. All patients required periodontal surgery in one or more segments. The diagnosis of periodontitis was made after clinical and radiographic examination. Periodontal surgery was performed on each patient and full thickness mucoperiosteal flaps were elevated to gain access to root and osseous structures. The vertical osseous defects were explored surgically using mouth mirror, explorer and a periodontal probe. Results: A total of 141 vertical osseous defects were detected in the 677 teeth assessed during surgical exposure. Of these 81 vertical defects were found in the maxilla and 60 vertical defects were found in the mandible. Craters accounted for almost 44% of the total defects. The posterior maxilla had the highest percentage of teeth with vertical defects (26.23%) while the mandibular anterior segment had the lowest percentage of vertical defects. Conclusion: The posterior maxilla had the highest percentage of vertical osseous defects which can be explained by the fact that greater thickness of supporting bone allows formation of a greater number of infrabony defects. Craters were found to be the most common defect.

Periodontal diseases and awareness among patients.

Awareness of periodontal problems and how they interpret this and their timely intervention affects periodontal health. Many people neither recognize the symptoms of periodontal disease nor do they associate existing symptoms with the disease. Hence one should ensure that the routes of science transfer are open so that the appropriate knowledge regarding the prevention and control of periodontal diseases are available to the public.

Evaluation of antibacterial activity of Mangifera indica on anaerobic dental microglora based on in vivo studies.

The present study was carried out to compare the subgingival plaque microflora in mango leaf users. Fifty subjects of both sexes, 25 of them used tooth brush and 25 used mango leaf as their home care hygiene device were included in the study. The microbiological evaluation for specific bacterial counts of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Peptostreptococcus micros were carried out for all subject. Specific microbial evaluation revealed significant decrease in the proportion of P. intermedia and P. gingivalis in mango leaf users compared to tooth brush users. It shows that mangiferin possesses antibacterial activity in vivo against specific periodontal pathogens such as P. intermedia and P. gingivalis. Use of mango leaf in conjunction with a tooth brush will be a good home care device for maintenance of oral hygiene.